


For the Rest of My Life

by romantasha



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, I can't say much else without spoiling, Lots of Angst, Skyeward - Freeform, based off of 2x01, don't read if you have triggers, so have fun and read!, theories of what may happen in season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-26
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-18 20:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2360675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romantasha/pseuds/romantasha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He looks behind her and his eyes widen in fear. "Skye, behind you!" She swiftly turns around and sees the butt of a gun coming down towards her.<br/>And everything goes black."</p><p>In which Skye visits Ward when all hell breaks loose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I finally got around to writing a multi-chapter Skyeward fic. I started writing one nearly a year ago (it was around when 1x03 came out...the memories) but never got around to finishing it. This is compensation, I guess. I'm thinking it'll be around 5 chapters, but don't hold me to that!
> 
> It's going to be a bumpy ride, so prepare yourself for the angst!

It’s early morning nearly two weeks later, and she's  _ still _ thinking about him.

Skye's tossing and turning in her bed, just as she had been for the past hour. She can see the clock blink five o'clock, and she sighs.

Another night without sleep. She wonders how long she can continue on with this. She's been hacking around for Coulson until late at night, going to bed at ungodly hours...then up she gets to train with May or go on a mission before she has even managed to get a wink.

Skye sighs again, knowing she promised Trip that she'd go with him to get another month's of provisions. She trudges out of bed, still in her kevlar outfit, grabs her ICER, and walks to Trip's room.

"Trip! Remember that we're going out for provisions today," she calls through the door.

"Girl, I'm right here."

Skye spins around, and sees him standing right by her door. "Trip, stop messing with me."

"I ain't messing around. I've been standing there since you opened your door. You walked right by me."

Skye rolls her eyes, and ignores him. "Let's just go, okay?"

She makes the move to walk towards the common room to get ready, but Trip grabs her arm. "You're not going anywhere. You need some sleep."

She pulls away from him. "I'm fine."

"You're sleep deprived; I can see the bags under your eyes too clearly. The fact you walked right past me and didn't notice I was there proves that your senses are unresponsive. You need sleep." Skye huffs in annoyance, but he presses on. "Go to sleep. I can handle provisions by myself. Out of each month we've gone, something has yet to go wrong."

"Exactly. Something is bound to go wrong eventually!"

Trip smiles, and pushes her towards her room. "If something goes wrong, I'll call for backup. I know you'd prefer to stay here--that's where he is."

Skye freezes. "I'd rather be as far away from him as possible."

"Aw, don't be like that," he complains, "I've seen you go over all of the footage from that day. All night. Over and over again."

"Fine, I want to talk to him!" she says angrily. She hates it when Trip gets all wise on her. "He knows something about my father. I didn't think that whatever he had to say would matter, so I closed him off. I guess it does." Tears came to her eyes. "I hate this. I hate  _him_ ."

Trip pulled her into an embrace. "No, you don't. You're just angry. And sleep deprived."

She chooses to selectively hear. "Fine, I'll stay. Only if you promise to call me if anything happens."

"Sure thing."

Skye then went and plopped back onto the bed, but not before a look of appreciation towards Trip.

-

When Skye next opens her eyes, she feels just as tired as before. Her clock tells her it's only eight, which means she only got three hours of sleep.

It's good enough for her.

She gets up reluctantly, but she knows that she won't be able to get any more sleep. She can't get him out of her mind. She needs to know about her father.

So she sneaks by everyone -- they can't know that's she's going to see the traitor without their permission -- and she gets the two-buttoned remote that controls his cell.

And then she walks into Vault D.

Similar to before, Ward uses his hand to block the light coming from the door.

She wishes he wouldn't smile like he finally sees the world in front of him.

"Skye," she hears him breathe out. "What does Coulson need?" he asks hesitantly.

Skye isn't sure how to proceed at first. She could lie, and tell him that she's asking him that Coulson provided for her, but it doesn't sound right. So, she chooses her words carefully. "Coulson didn't send me."

His visage becomes surprised...almost excited. He watches her as she sits down on the chair sitting in front of him, and she wishes he'd stop. She can't concentrate when he looks so...content.

"Last time you said you knew about my father."

Ward's features soften. "I didn't realize you were listening."

Skye shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. "I wasn't," she replies honestly, "It took me three times of watching the footage to catch what you had said. I didn't want to know before that."

"I told you, I will never lie to you again -- not ever during my life. I really just want to help."

Skye changed her demeanor to be cold again. “And I told  _you_ that I won’t trust a word out of your mouth…”

“...and that you’d walk if I say anything other than an answer to your question. I know. I memorized what you said.”

“Memor--”

Ward cuts in, “There’s not much to go on, but it’s enough to keep me fighting.”

“Fighting who?”

“Not  _who_ ,  but  _what_ _for_ :  The will to live.”

“War--” She stops herself. She can’t give him that satisfaction. “I’m not here to look for a pity story. I want information that you have.”

He seems sad, but she doesn’t dwell on it. She can’t for her own sanity.

“I don’t know much, but I know enough from what I found out from Raina.”

And so Grant Ward tells Skye the story of a baby girl in the village in China, whose parents killed to find their child.

-

Coulson’s tired.

He had been up all night looking for possible more people to recruit. He reckons it was a good idea to stay on the Playground and take a few more days off before searching them out in person.

When the alarm goes off, he freezes.

It can’t be.

They’ve been at the same base for months now, without fail...How could their cover suddenly be blown?

Coulson rushes out of his office to warn everyone of the imminent danger. “May, we’ve been breached. We need to get the Bus back immediately,” he calls out.

May nods and runs to get to work. Coulson turns to Lance. “Hunter, get everyone out to the hanger. I need to get Koeing and discuss how we’re going to handle the prisoners.” Lance nods, but Coulson grabs his arms roughly. “Get all of the weapons you can get your hands on; we’re going to need it.”

Coulson goes full sprint to make it to Agent Koeing’s office. “We’ve got a breach.”

“Yeah, I know. They’re nearly inside,” he says frantically. “I’m trying to reboot all the systems to prevent them from getting any further, but they’re good. They’ve gotten through the blast-proof door already. Turns out it wasn't so blast proof.”

Coulson swears. “How long do we have?”

Koeing shakes his head. “Two minutes, maybe three. Five if we’re lucky.”

“What about the vaults? Our research, weapons, Ward?”

“We’re going to have to leave them behind.” Koeing becomes sad, “We have to get rid of that awesome super blaster. I’m gonna miss that thing.”

Coulson grabs the tablet from his hands. “We’ll get everything back, I promise. Right now our priority is getting everyone out of here. Then we can assess our enemies...which are probably Hydra.” He stops. “Dammit! Ward! There’s no time to get him out and keep him contained. We’ll be handing him straight back to Hydra.”

Koeing runs out the door. “We’ve got to go, now! They’ve made it through the front door!”

The two agents run through the base to the hanger, where the team is ready to go. “Is everyone here?”

Mac shakes his head, and Coulson panicks. “Agents Skye and Triplett are unaccounted for.”

Coulson sighed in relief. “They’re out for the day getting our rations.”

Lance says, “We’ll reach them when we get the bloody hell out of here.”

“Don’t worry, Simmons, Trip and Skye are okay,” they all hear Fitz say in the background just as the plane takes off.

-

Skye is familiar with a good portion of the story, but the fact that her parents were a part of it is news to her. She refuses to cry, but she can’t help but let a few tears gather up in her eyes. “Is that it?” she asks impatiently when Ward stops talking.

“Yeah,” he breathes. She gets up to get the hell out of that cell, but his voice stops her from doing so. “Skye, please.”

She stays standing by the chair instead, and bites her lip. “What?” she asks.  _Damn_.  She meant to have put it more venomously.

“Please don’t change.”

She rolls her eyes. “Why the hell would I listen to Raina? I’m not going to be part of her psycho-analysis.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She waits impatiently for him to continue, crossing her arms.

“You’ve already changed, with May. Kevlar doesn’t suit you.”

“Well that’s what happens when someone betrays you.”

He looks down in shame and avoids her eyes. Everything is quiet for a moment, and then he speaks. "Skye..."

"Save it."

Ward sighs. "I lo-"

"Don't." Skye can't take it. She can't take   _him_ . "Just...don't."

"Okay," he replies quietly. "How've you been?" Just like the time before.

"It's been hard. Especially with Fitz..." She trails off.

"That damn pod was supposed to float." He sounds so heartbroken, and she's surprised.

"Did Coulson tell you?"

Ward shrugged. "He told me Fitz was never going to be the same again."

"Why'd you do it?" Skye damn well hated small talk, but it was the only thing keeping her  _herself_ . It's bringing back painful memories, but some good ones as well.

Ward seems to feel a little more comfortable, since he steps a little closer to the barrier. "Why did I do what?"

"Any of it! Lying, murdering, manipulating...Do I have to continue?"

He shakes his head. "I owed Gar-"

The next part happens in a blur.

He looks behind her and his eyes widen in fear. "Skye, behind you!" She swiftly turns around and sees the butt of a gun coming down towards her.

And everything goes black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of your kind comments!

It’s two hours later, and Coulson’s still trying to reach Trip and Skye.

“Damnit,” he cries out.  _What if Hydra had reached them?_

Finally, on the fourteenth try, Trip picks up. “Sir?”

“Where the hell have you been?” Coulson demands.

“Getting pr--”

“Damnit, Trip! I mean why haven’t you been picking up your sat phone?”

“Forgot it in the van, sorry. What do you need?”

“Hydra has infiltrated the base,” Coulson explains. “You and Skye need to stay where you are; we’ll pick you up with the Bus.”

Everything is silent for a moment.

Finally, Trip speaks. “Skye isn’t with me, Sir.”

“What do you mean, _she’s not with you_ ??” he asks incredulously.

“She stayed at the base. She hadn’t slept all night.”

And Coulson had thought he’s had a bad enough day.

-

When Skye wakes up, her head is aching.

“Ugh, how much did I drink last night?” she groans.

Then, she realizes that she hadn’t drank anything.

Skye looks around and sees that she’s in Ward’s cell...except she’s in the  inside  of it.

She panics, and gets up quickly. She cries out softly and grabs her head.

“You have a concussion,” she hears a voice say.

_Ward_ .

“What the hell are you playing at,” she spats out. “I can easily call for Coulson; he’s bound to come down here eventually.”

“I doubt that. The base has been overrun. Gave us both a big bump on the head.”

A part of her feels relieved that he isn’t the one who got her into this mess, but she honestly doesn’t know what to believe anymore. She notices that he’s sitting all the way across the cell from her, leaning against the wall. “Hydra?” she finally breathes out.

Ward shakes his head. “Not by the looks of it.”

“Right,” she says sarcastically, “Otherwise they would have gotten their little prodigy out of his cell by now.”

She sees him scowl lightly. “Not even close.”

Skye tuts. “Because you spilled their secrets to S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

Ward shakes his head. “I’ve never gotten along with Hydra.”

“Then why the hell did you  join  it?”

“I never joined Hydra--I joined Garrett!” he argues.

“Who was Hydra,” she points out.

Ward sighs, annoyed. “Look, can you cooperate for a little while so we can get you out of here?”

“Coulson will save me,” she states.

“There’s a good chance that he’s  _dead_ . The base has been overrun--obviously unexpectedly as well. And do you really think he’d just leave you behind if he did manage to escape?”

Skye freezes. “He thinks I’m with Trip.”

“What?”

“I was supposed to go outside the base with Trip today. I stayed behind.”

Ward gazes at her. “To talk to me.”

She bites her lip and nods, and it looks like his entire universe is complete. “You know, you don’t need to sit so fa--”

The door to the cell swings open, and both of them whip their heads around to look right at the two guards and the infamous Ian Quinn. “Hello again, Skye.”

Ward immediately stands up and runs in front of where Skye’s sitting. “You bastard; what the hell are you doing here?”

Quinn puts his hands up. “I’m here to talk.”

Skye is squirming in her sitting position. All she can think about was the last time she saw him. She still has those two scars.

Ward scowls at Quinn. “Stay away.”

Quinn chuckles. “I knew you were angry about shooting the girl, but orders are orders. You know that better than anyone.” He motions towards the guards. “Grab her.”

The guards deactivate the barrier and walk towards Skye. Ward runs towards them, but they punch him down. Skye whimpers. The one guard continues to kick Ward in the gut until he’s spitting out blood, and she feels someone dragging her by the arm out of the room.

-

Coulson runs to the cockpit of the plane frantically. “May, we need to turn this plane around; Skye’s still at the base.”

Koenig runs in straight after. “Ma’am, definitely do  _not_ turn back! Coulson, as I’ve just said, it’d be suicide! The base is crawling with Hydra agents.”

“Which is why we need to get her!”

“There’s a good chance that she’s beyond saving! Director Coulson, we can’t go back, we’ll have to get her when we get reinforcements.”

“SHUT UP!” May screams at the two of them. “Coulson, Koenig’s right. We’ll need reinforcements if we want to get Skye back.”

“This is probably exactly what Ward wanted. His Hydra buddies go and save him and now he gets Skye all to himself! Mel, don’t you realize what kind of situation she could be in.”

“There’s nothing we can do at the moment.” May’s voice is cold.

-

Skye’s strapped down to a bed, and she can’t even move. She’s been alone for at least twenty minutes now, and she can’t get the image of a bloodied and battered Ward out of her head.

“Hello, Skye. It’s been a while.”

The voice is sickly sweet, and she’s not sure if she knows it or not. It’s the flower dress that comes into view that she recognizes.

“Raina,” Skye seethes. “Get away from me.”

“It’s alright, Skye. I’m here to help you.”

_She’s good_ , Skye reminds herself.  _She’s manipulative and sweet. She made even Coulson believe her lies_.  “Bitch.”

“Don’t be like that,” Raina tuts. “You wouldn’t want to give the wrong impression to your father.”

“My father can burn in Hell,” she replies coldly. And she means it.

“Your father is a magnificent man. He’ll be here soon.”

“He can’t be that great; leaving a baby to live by herself.”

Raina shakes her head, a smug smile forming on her face. “I know that you’re angry, but it isn’t his fault. He wanted to raise you so bad, but you were stolen from him at birth. He’s been searching for you ever since.”

Skye rolls her eyes. “And leaving a trail of bodies on the way.”

“There’s always a price, Skye.” Raina pushes the bangs out of Skye’s eyes. “Now, let’s get you out of these straps. They must be terribly uncomfortable, I’m sorry.”

“Stay away from me,” Skye growls.

Raina began to undo the straps that bind her to the bed. “Be good; I don’t want another black eye.”

“Keep talking and you just might.”

Raina stays quiet for a bit. After releasing Skye, she hands her a bowl of soup from the nearby counter. “You must be hungry.”

Skye cautiously takes the bowl and sniffs it.

“It’s not poisoned,” Raina tells her.

Skye sips it, and it’s good. Raina’s right--she’s incredibly hungry. She hasn’t ate anything since the night before.

Raina gently taps her elbow after she’s had a good amount, and begins to lead her out the door. “Your father should be ready to see you now.”

Skye isn’t particularly adamant about seeing her father, but she knows that she doesn’t have much of a choice is she wants to get out of this relatively unscathed. So, she plays along.

“What if I’m not what he wanted? What if I disappointed him in some way?”

Raina rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. “He’s been studying you, and he’s really quite proud of you so far. He believes that you have so much potential, and he can’t wait to meet you at last.”

This makes Skye nervous. Raina’s making her father seem like such a great guy, and after what Ward told her…

There’s always a chance that he could have lied.

But, if he hadn’t, she runs the risk of being manipulated into becoming a monster by her own father. That isn’t exactly on her bucket list.

Raina opens the door and smiles at Skye encouragingly. “He’s right inside there.”

Skye stops in front of the door for a second, and peers inside anxiously. It’s completely dark. “Daughter, come inside.” It’s deep and... dark . _Evil_. She shivers, yet walks into the room, and Raina shuts the door behind her.

-

Ward cradles his stomach in pain.

He can still taste the blood.

He’s laying in the cell, dying, and he’s not worrying about himself. He’s worrying about Skye. Quinn took her someplace, and he hasn’t heard from anyone since. He hopes that she’s okay.

The door opens. “Skye,” he whispers. He’s hopeful.

“Raina,” the voice replies. “You’re not looking so well.”

Ward wheezes. “Where’s Skye?”

Raina replies, “Where she belongs.”

It’s not much to go on, but it’s enough to figure out it has something to do with her heritage. “Don’t hurt her.”

“Oh, Grant,” she soothes, “I plan on doing the exact opposite. We’re going to make her better.  _Evolved_ . Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“No,” he whispers. Once, the idea had been tempting, but now...He wants her, not the monster that she’d become. “You can’t.”

Raina kneels down by his side, and guides him to his bed. “This way, she can understand you. Understand the reasons you did what you did.  _She can love you back_. ”

Ward clutches his stomach. “Let her go. Please,” he cries out. He’s had months to think about this, and he made his decision so long ago. “I’d rather die than have her falsely love me.”

Raina shook her head with a light, manipulative smile. “Grant Ward, it’d be the opposite. She deserves to be who she truly is. Right now, she’s only wearing a mask.”

Raina drops the blanket on top of his wounded body, and with a swish of her hips, she’s back out the door.

-

“Why is it so dark?” Skye asks.

The voice replies, “Many believe my appearance to be appalling. I wouldn’t want to give my daughter the wrong impression. You see, humans are petty. They judge things by beauty, and disregard any other qualities that it may possess. One looks at a rose, and thinks of it as perfect, yet he cuts himself by getting too close. Then, one looks at a toad, and he’s disgusted by a creature with such a pure heart.”

“Is this supposed to be some sort of life lesson?” Skye sighs, tapping her foot. “Not everyone is like that; some people don’t care about appearance.”

The light turns on, and she gasps.

A man stands in front of her, bloodied. He’s sickly red, and covered completely with blood and boils.

“Perhaps, but everyone is caught by surprise at one point or another.”

Skye takes in a deep breath. “Is this supposed to be my true nature?”

“Are you willing to find out?” her father asks. His smile is sickening.

She swallows. “No.”

“Shame,” he swats her response by, “You’d make a lovely daughter.”

She shakes her head. “I’ve lived my entire life without you, and I can continue with that. I’ve heard the stories, and your appearance has nothing to do with it. You’re a monster. You killed an entire village.”

“Because they stole you.”

“I’m not property,” she states bravely.

“You are my daughter,” the monster says, clearly angry.

Skye shakes her head. “I’m no such thing. My name is Skye, and I’ve been an orphan my entire life. I’ve never been happier about it than now.”

She walks out the door, and she hears an angry yell behind her.

-

When the guards deliver Skye back to the cell, Ward immediately springs out of bed. “Are you okay?” he asks. She can tell he wants to touch her, hold her, but he doesn’t. She appreciates it.

“I can ask you the same thing,” she remarks. “You’re the one who actually got beaten up.”

Ward shrugs. “I’ve gone through worse.”

She brings herself to looks the scars on his arms. “Yeah, you have.”

He follows her gaze, and attempts to hide the scars in shame. “The past few months haven’t been very easy for me.”

Skye sighs, plopping onto the cot. She hopes he doesn’t mind. Not that she cares, actually. She’s too worn out to care. “Me neither.” When he doesn’t respond, she elaborates. “I miss you.” There’s an awkward pause. “As an SO, I mean. Supervising Officer.”

“Oh,” comes his reply. She’s tempted to lift her head to see if his face matches the disappointment in his voice, but she doesn’t.

“May’s great and all, but she isn’t you. You let me be myself. May’s making me into her shadow.”

“Well, I miss you, too. I mean, it’s a bit obvious, but…”

“Don’t ruin the moment,” Skye warns.

He doesn’t shut up, but he doesn’t finish his sentence. “Go to sleep, Rookie.”

“I’m not a rookie anymore,” she mumbles into the uncomfortable pillow. No wonder he hates his cell so much.

“You’ll always be a rookie to me.” She can almost  _hear_ his smile.

“Shut up and let me sleep.”

It almost feels like old times.

Almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a lot going on, but next chapter has even more! So I guess that's something to look forward to! I'm hoping to update tomorrow.
> 
> And, of course, tell me what you think! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.

Someone shakes her awake.

Skye blinks once, then twice. “Ward?”

Seeing she’s awake, Ward springs away. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be in your space. But I think I’ve found a way out.”

“You’ve spent months in this cell, and you’ve only found a way out  _now_ ? Not sure if that makes your timing impeccable or horrendous.”

She stares at him, studying his features. He looks almost ashamed...and loving? She blinks at him expectantly until he talks.

“Well, I’ve never tried to escape before.”

“Never?” She's surprised.

“There was nothing for me outside of this cell. Not much on the inside, either.”

Skye looks down. “So, what’s this out you’ve found?”

Ward points to the door. “We’re gonna get out the front. They’ll have to come back eventually, and if one of us can get them close enough, we can stun them momentarily by using the barrier. We’d have to move fast, but it may be the best shot we’ve got.”

Skye nods. "And now we wait."

"And now we wait," Ward replies.

Skye looks at him. He's moved, and now he's sitting against the wall near the barrier. She gets up off the bed, and sits next to him. Their shoulders are touching, and she can tell he's uncomfortable. "So, out of all the months you've been here, you've _never_ attempted to get out?"

Ward stays silent. He turns his head as if to look at her, but he changes his mind and stares straight ahead. "It's crossed my mind."

"But?" Skye persists.

"It didn't seem worth it. I deserve to rot for what I've done. And to be even in the same building that you've been in made me hopeful that I would get a chance to see you. I was worried that if I even  _tried_ , that hope would be lost."

She leans her head against the wall. "I wanted to come earlier, you know. It was probably better I didn't, though."

"Why?"

Skye looked up at him. "I've been able to bottle up my anger more lately. If I had come earlier, I could've hurt you. I was pretty angry."

"I haven't noticed."

Skye's mouth hung open humorously. "Grant Douglas, did you just use  _sarcasm_ ? A form of a  _joke_ ?"

Ward looks at her and smiles. "You know, there are a lot of things you don't know about me."

She shifts to the side. Their shoulders no longer touch. "Right. You were pretending to be someone you weren't."

"I never answered your question," he says.

"Which one?"

"Why I did it."

Skye bites her bottom lip. "So, why?"

Ward leans his head back against the wall, and clenches his fists. "I felt like I owed Garrett everything."

"You didn't."

"I  _thought_ I did, though. It doesn't excuse what I did, but I thought I was doing the right thing. 'We're all heroes in our own stories,' you know? S.H.I.E.L.D. against Hydra;--or even the Rising Tide--there's no knowing for sure who was good and who was bad. When we first met you, you were a bad person according to S.H.I.E.L.D. According to you, you were the heroine." Ward paused, making sure she was still listening. "Even the innocent body count for S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra were so similar. And the ideals...it's not like Hydra forced S.H.I.E.L.D. into building the helicarriers--they were just given the idea.

"For me, I was in Hell. You've heard the stories: Abusive family. I was finally sent to a military camp, and when I got out, I went home to give them hell back. I set the house on fire with my brother inside."

Skye looks at him. "The older one?"

Ward nods. "He got out, and I was put in Juvy. That's when Garrett found me. He used S.H.I.E.L.D resources to get me out of there, and he promised me a better life. Instead, he left me in the woods with nothing but some changes of clothes and a dog."

"For how long?" Skye asks quietly. When he doesn't respond, she presses, "How  _long_ , Ward?"

"Alone for six months. Then, another five years with just him coming and going."

Skye stands up angrily. "How the hell could you think you owed him after what he put you through? And he abused you! And don't you try to deny it, because I can put two and two together. I know he's the one who gave you that scar on your cheek, and all those broken ribs from back at Providence." She's angry. At Garrett, mostly, for doing this to him--but she's also angry at him. "Why didn't you just tell me?" The words are unspoken, but he knows what she means.  _Why didn't you trust me?_

Ward looks down in shame. "I didn't think I would survive past the words, 'I'm Hydra.' Figured you would've killed me by then."

"Maybe if you hadn't tried to seduce me, I would consider--"

"I never tried t--"

"--listening to your story."

Ward clenched his teeth. "I was angry at Garrett for leaving me there, but later, I realize -- well, thought I realized -- that it only made me stronger. I thought Garrett saved me, and so I owed him. Now, I realize that the only person I owe is you."

"You didn't owe Garrett a thing. You don't owe  _me_ a thing. You don't owe anyone a thing! You're your own person; you need to start owing yourself."

"I'm sorry," he says simply.

Skye puts her hand up. "Stop. Please, just stop apologizing. I have only one question, and you need to answer it honestly."

"Anything."

"Did you have anything to do with Quinn shooting me?"

Ward looks like she just punched him in the gut. "Skye..."

"Answer me, Ward. Yes or no?"

Ward closes his eyes. "It was never part of the plan. But, apparently, Garrett improvised."

Skye breathes a sigh of relief. "So it was all Garrett."

"If I had known--"

"It's okay. I don't need to know anything more. I just needed to make sure..."

"Make sure of what?"

"Make sure that my gut was right when I let my guard down and slept."

Ward gets up and stands beside her. He reaches to grab her hands, but as soon as his hands brush across hers, they both jump back. "I would never hurt you."

Skye smiles hesitantly.

-

Soon enough, Ward hears voices coming from beside the door. "Ready?" he whispers to Skye.

She nods.

The door opens, and Ward leans against Skye weakly. "Guard, help," she begs, "I think he's seriously injured from that beating earlier!" She clings onto him desperately, playing her part. "He needs medical assistance immediately!"

The guard chuckles and gets close to the barrier. "Bastard can't even take a few hits. No wonder he was caught so easily."

Skye scowls internally, because Ward is one of the best damn agents out there, not that she'd admit it to him. She continues to beg, "Please, just see what's wrong with him. I haven't been trained for medical yet."

The guard clicks the button for the barrier to inspect Ward. He punches him hard in the gut, and Ward groans, because, damn, it  _hurts_ . "He probably has a broken rib and internal bleeding if he's this weak. You'd probably be better off with letting him die."

Ward then uses that moment of the guard's smugness to tackle him down and push Skye outside of the barrier line. He grabs the controller and tosses it to Skye. "Turn it on now!"

He jumps out of the way just as Skye clicks the button. They see the yellow light flash and then there's a huge snap.

The guard was cut in half.

Skye closes her eyes and turns away. She sees Ward pass by her and run towards the door. "Come on, let's go."

She follows after him. There's another guard right outside of the door, but Ward manages to knock him out before he even noticed the door had opened.

Ward grabs the gun the soldier had, and hands it to Skye. "Lead the way. You know this base--I have yet to see it without a bag over my head."

She nods in understanding and takes the gun. "This way."

She leads him down the hall.

-

They don't run into any more trouble until they reach the hallway leading to the exit of the base.

The first thing that happens is Skye gets tackled down by Ward.

Then she realises there's gunfire.

Ward had pushed her to lay down behind the wall, and he's using his body as a human shield. When the shooting ceased, he jumps off of her and mutters, "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," she replies quickly, loading her gun, "You saved me."

She gets up and shoots at the guards from behind the wall until every one of them goes down. She doesn't notice what had happened until she hears Ward groan. Skye looks down and notices that he hasn't gotten up, and she can see why.

The bastard must've gotten himself shot in the leg while trying to protect her.

She leans down and uses all her strength to pull him up and lean him against her.

"Skye, stop."

She keeps leading him to walk. "We have to go now. More guards will come if we don't."

She can tell he's not even trying to walk with either of his legs ( _And only one is injured, for goodness sake_ , she thinks.) "Leave me," he says, trying to push her off of him.

"Stop trying to be so heroic and let's get out of here," she says. She drags him some more.

“Skye, you have to leave me here,” Ward insists.

“ No. ”

“I’m injured--I’ll just slow you down. Please, save yourself.”

Skye continues to drag him along, despite his protests. “Ward, I trust you not to kill me or to let me die, but I can’t trust you not to betray me again.”

Before she knows it, he’s spun out of her arms and he had grabbed her gun from her waist belt. “That’s why I’m going to leave you without a doubt,” he says while loading the gun.

And he points the gun to his forehead.

Skye freezes. “Stop it,” she starts gently. “You’re not going to do this.”

"Don't come closer, or I'll shoot." Ward closes his eyes. “It’s exactly what I’m going to do. Once I pull this trigger, you have to run. Run until you get to Coulson. I know you don’t owe me anything, but please do that. For me.”

"You're  _not_ committing suicide," she exclaims.

Ward chuckles. It makes her nauseous. "You're not exactly in a position to tell me what I can and can't do."

She wants to throw up. He's standing there with a maniacal look on his face, with a gun pointed at his own head. But, his eyes look sad. "Ward, please don't do this," she begs, "You said that you were done with hurting yourself." Tears are starting to escape.

He stops smirking. "Skye, the reason Coulson never told you about my suicide attempts was because he didn't want you to feel guilty. He refused to let me see you, and I didn't see a point to living anymore. Now, I can't think of anything more hellish than to see you every day hating me."

"Grant--"

"Which is surely what will happen. I'll go back into a cell--this one, the next...doesn't matter--and Coulson will send you to get information from me. Skye, do you know how much torture it is to see  _the person you love hating your very existence_ ."

The elephant in the room is finally out. Sure, they've both known his true feelings, but this is the first time she's actually heard it. Her heart warms at the statement, and it scares her.

Skye steps closer, and he steps back. He presses the gun more forcefully to his head as a warning, and she stops moving. "Grant, I don't hate you." He grip on the pistol falters. "God yes, I hate that your Hydra; I hate that I can't trust you; but I don't hate  _you_ . Everytime I see you, it hurts. I'm  angry . But I can't bring myself to hate you; I've tried."

Her words seem to affect him. He looks like he may put the gun down, but, Ward presses the gun to his head even more forcefully, with tears in his eyes. “Skye, I’m so sorry.”

_To him, it's not a suicide, it's a sacrifice._

A trigger is pulled.

Everything seems to stop.

There’s a large bang, and a body hits the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you this story would be painful.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say I was sorry? If not, then I am _soooo_ sorry!
> 
> You were all too busy worrying about Ward to realize the real danger.
> 
> I'm sorry.

Ward drops the gun, and it's forgotten. He looks ahead in horror.

"Ward?" Skye whispers, clutching her heart.

And then she drops to the ground.

"No!" he screams, his knees dropping to the ground and collecting her in his arms. "Skye?”

One hand is cradling her close to him, and the other is pressing against the wound. It had pierced her heart.

She’s already dead.

He looks at his hands in horror. It's covered in her blood.

Ward pulls her closer to him until his head presses to the crook of her neck, and he’s sobbing.

She’s  _dead_ .

“Skye, please wake up; please come back to me,” he begs the broken body. “I love you; I  _need_ you.”

When he’s finally come to the senses that  _she’s not coming back, oh god_ , he gathers in the surroundings.

He picks up the gun, and runs towards where the fire was shot. Adrenaline and anger is coursing through his veins, and he could care less about anything wrong with him. All he can think is,  _She’s dead; She’s gone; He never got to tell her how he really felt; She’s not coming back._

He sees Raina. “ _She’s_ _dead_ . You killed her!” he accuses. He points the gun at her, and holds the trigger. She only stands there bravely, with a little smirk on her face, and  _she’s not even holding a gun_ . Ward falls to the floor, broken. He can't do this. He's weak. She's his weakness, and she's dead . “Save her,” he whispers, “GH325,  _anything_ .”

A man pops up from behind Raina. He’s covered in red--no,  _blood_ \--and he’s holding a gun. Ward clenches his teeth. He knows it’s her father--it has to be--but his blood is boiling. “You son of a bitch!” He tries to get up, but the monster smiled evilly and he’s stuck to the ground. He can't move.

“Take me to her,” he says.

And Ward  _has_ to comply.

He slowly walks to where he left her, and he breaks down again. He brings her back to him, holding her to him. He needs to hold her. He can’t live otherwise. “Skye,” he whispers, “Your father is here.”

Ward’s not crazy, he knows she’s dead, but he still clings onto the hope that maybe she’ll open her eyes and say something back.  _Please_ . It's the only thing he can hold on to.

Raina speaks first. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

Ward doesn’t want to agree with anything she has to say, but that’s an unarguable statement. Even pale and covered in blood, she looks beautiful...even peaceful.

And that makes it hurt even more.

He wishes he got to tell her. Tell her she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. And that he loves her with all his heart, and he'd do anything for her.

Even if it meant giving her up.

The monster walks closer to the body and kneels next to Ward.

“Don’t touch her,” he spats out, holding Skye to him protectively.

“She wasn’t cooperating, so we had a change of plans.”

“So you killed her?” he cries out.

The monster chuckles darkly. “Nothing we can’t fix.”

Ward looks up. Hope fills his chest. “What?”

“We can bring her back,” Raina says. “Remember, she’s not human, and neither are we.”

His eyes go wide, and he looks at her pale face. He brushes the bangs out of it. “What does it entail?” He's scared. He wants more than anything to save her, but not if it means changing her. She's already changed enough, and he misses the old her.

Call him selfish, but he wouldn't survive if he saw her turn into a monster.

“We bring out her true nature,” Raina replies, “and her inner self will heal.”

“No,” he says. “She wouldn’t want that.”

Raina raises her eyebrows. “Would she prefer to die, or to be the person she was destined to be?”

“She wouldn’t want to be a monster.”

And who are you to decide what she wants and doesn’t want?” the monster inquires.

Ward thinks. It’s a decent question. He doesn’t know how she feels. “Then how can I decide that she does want to be a monster?”

Raina puts a hand on his shoulder. “Grant Ward, it’s just the timing that can change. She was going to evolve no matter what--unless we let her die, of course. Her mask couldn’t last forever. We’re just speeding up that process, and saving her life in the meanwhile.”

“She’d be a monster. She doesn’t want that.”

Raina smiles comfortingly. “Evolution doesn’t mean monster. She’ll still be who she is. Yes, it’ll increase her thirst for blood, for  _justice_ , but it’s ultimately up to her who she wants to be. Maybe she’ll take innocent lives, but maybe she’ll direct that thirst to evil men who deserve to die anyways.”

Ward breathes, and closes his eyes tightly. He presses a kiss to her forehead. “What should I do?” he asks Skye.

Raina replies, “Let us  _save_ her.” She tugs at Ward to pull him away from the body, and he lets her. He holds onto Skye’s hand until the very last second, and when he finally lets go, the monster picks up the body, and carries her away.

Raina hugs him close to her until then.

_He hopes that Skye can forgive him._

-

“Shouldn’t we restrain him?” the monster asked.

Raina shook her head. “He wouldn’t leave without her. As long as she’s not awake, we don’t have to worry about him.”

The two watch Ward as he sits by Skye’s body. He’s holding her hand, caressing it with his thumb, as he watches her carefully.

“And when we do the procedure?”

“We’ll have to wait to see if it was successful. If it is, we’ll have to confine him again. If not, we’ll have to put him down. He won’t rest until he gets revenge if she stays dead.”

“Human love is pitiful,” the monster replies, scowling.

Raina smiles. “Doesn’t seem to bad. I wouldn’t mind having someone fight for me like that.” She smirks and walks into the room. “Grant, we’re ready. If you could just stand out--”

“I’m not leaving her,” he interrupts.

“It’s not going to be pleasant.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t care. If she comes back, I don’t care.”

Raina frowns, but doesn’t press on. “Very well. At least give me some space.”

Ward stays in place for a few moments, as if contemplating the request, and after a glare at Raina, he lets go of Skye’s hand and moves to the side.

Raina begins to strap Skye’s limbs, and Ward protests, “What ar--”

“I told you, it’s not going to be pleasant. I can’t have her thrashing around if her body refuses to evolve.”

The monster walks in and glares out Ward. “You have no business staying in here.”

Raina wraps a strap around Skye’s forehead. “He can stay.”

The monster scowls but doesn’t press on. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

Raina picks up a syringe of a yellowish goo. “I know exactly what I’m doing; I did the same to myself.”

Ward swallows. He’s always been curious on her story. Garrett referred to her as brainwashed, and now this, but what’s the real story?

Raina turns to him and smirks, as if she knew what he thought. “When I was a girl, I was like everyone else. I played with dolls and liked kittens. But as I grew older, I realized there was something different about me. I felt like I was missing parts of myself, like there was a black hole. And then I met him, and he enlightened me.” She looks at the monster. “Together, we delved into the deepest parts of my mind and what we found was  _magnificent_. ”

She didn’t explain any further.

Raina then pulls up a big machine and lifts the mattress with Skye on it. Ward recognizes the machine from somewhere, and then it hits him. He panics.

“That machine--”

Raina stopped him. “I told you it may be unpleasant. It depends on the memories it brings up. Coulson’s were particularly terrifying.”

Ward bites his tongue from making any snide comments-- _this isn’t the time for that, damnit_ \--but Coulson was begging  to die when he was in that machine.

Raina sticks the syringe into Skye's arms and empties its contents. 

"What's that?" Ward asks.

Raina points him a look. "Are you going to question me on everything I'm doing?"

"Yes," he replies. "I don't trust you."

"Grant, I'm trying to save her." When she doesn't get a response, she sighs. "Very well. I just gave her something to excite her molecules. It doesn't usually work on death, but if I turn this on," Raina turns the machine on, "We should begin to see results."

"What do you mean, 'results'?"

"Well, at first, we'll only see minor brain activities, like dreams. She'll still be dead, but her brain will be operating."

"Like the opposite of brain dead?"

"Like the opposite of brain dead," she affirms. "After that, there's no knowing what will happen. Usually, on humans, they just fizzle out. Sometimes, they'll spike, and then drop. But, for someone like Skye, we'll most likely see a steady rise until she begins to heal herself. That's when I'll use these," She points to the many different syringes next to her, "And she should wake up."

Ward nods, albeit nervously. He has no right to let Raina do this, but he also has no right to just let her die. He should just run out of there, call Coulson, and let him retrieve Skye's body.

But how could he just let her die?

His head in his hands, he inhales, then exhales.  _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale..._

Raina speaks, "We're beginning to see some reaction."

The monster moves towards his daughter. Raina nods at him.

The monster pulls the bullet out of Skye's chest.

Ward looks up, and sees the chart spike up. Raina is smiling encouragingly at both men in the room. "It's working."

Raina takes a syringe from the table and pokes it into Skye. Ward stares at Skye, then back at the chart. It's going up pretty quickly, and Ward ruffles his brow in confusion.

Then, he sees Raina rushing to a table across the room in panic, and the monster is holding Skye down as she begins to jerk around violently.

There's a continuous beeping sound, and it's not coming from her vitals. They're still flat, except for her brain waves.

Something's wrong.

Raina sticks another syringe into Skye's arm, but it crashes onto the ground and breaks as she's shaking.

"Hold her arm!" Raina tries again, and it goes in.

That's when Skye breaks free from her restraints and screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT (I think...)
> 
> I _may_ do a sequel, but it depends on if you want it or not. So, I guess comment and let me know if you want a sequel? It'll end a lot happier than this one...(Most likely.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't upload yesterday. It was a Monday and you know how Monday's go.
> 
> Here we go! The last chapter! Buckle your seatbelts, kiddies! It's gonna be a bit bumpy!

Ward’s first reaction is to run to Skye.

Her scream is loud...painful. Raina’s covering her eyes and doubling over in pain. Ward feels liquid dripping from his ears--blood, undoubtedly--and his leg is killing him, but he could care less.

He grabs her hand, and she’s still screaming her heart out. He’s never seen (heard) anything like it. The glass around the room is shattering and latching into the bodies of the four beings in the room.

Ward looks over at her father, and he’s smirking as if he just won a war. It makes him feel sick--the monster has joy from Skye’s suffering. He then spares a glance at Raina, and he can’t tell if she’s dead or if she’s just unconscious. He doesn’t care.

He continues to clutch at Skye’s hand, hoping to give her human contact reassurance. She doesn’t seem to react at all, and he’s starting to scream as well. “Help her!” he screams at the monster.

“It’s going just as it should. Looks like she’ll be even more powerful than me.” The monster still has that joyful gleam in his eye.

Ward begins to hear a new beeping, and he looks at the vitals to see that her heart has begun to beat once again. He breathes a sigh of relief, and let’s his head hang down.

And then she stops screaming.

Her eyes fly open, but  _it’s not her eyes_. They’re glowing white, and he doesn’t see her pupils. He looks at her in horror;  _What happened to Skye?_

Skye’s body sits up quickly, ripping all of her straps, and shoots a look at Ward, and the next thing he knows, his back is hard against the wall, and he falls to the floor in pain. His vision becomes blurry, and he knows that he probably suffered from some sort of concussion.

He doesn’t care.

Skye needs help, and nothing will stop that from providing that. “Skye,” he cries out, “Skye, snap out of it!”

He hears a voice say, “It’s helpless; she’s come to the inevitable.” Ward looks at her father, and he begins to stand up to tower over Skye. “My daughter, you’re almost there. You’re beginning to see the light.”

The man is a psychopath.

Not that Ward didn’t realize this earlier--it’s just scarily apparent now. The monster still has that smirk, though now it’s grown. He looks like a madman.

But then, his smile fades.

The monster suddenly looks scared as Skye--or, rather, Skye’s  _body_ \--turns to him slowly. Ward sees that she’s gripping her father’s hand, and he’s desperately trying to pull away. His hand is turning  _black_ , as if it were completely dying. “Daughter, don’t do this to me. You’re feeding on the wrong man!” he wails desperately.

Ward then observes as Skye’s body smirks evilly, and replies, “You are no father of mine.”

The next thing Ward knows, the monster turns completely black and then turns to dust.

The girl lying on the ground begins to stir _(_ _Thank God she’s not dead_ _,_ he thinks.) and she’s definitely not happy.

Raina looks up and Ward pulls her away from Skye’s potential reach. He’s not Raina’s biggest fan, but he respects her enough to not want her to die. She groans in protest, but stays silent when she sees Ward put a finger to his mouth. The room is still extremely loud with all the beeping and buzzing from the machines, and Skye’s body seems to be annoyed. She yanks out the cables that are in her reach, and it becomes violently quiet.

Ward holds Raina protectively, wanting nothing more than to run to Skye and tell her that everything will be alright.

_Except it’s not her._

She gets out of the bed, pulling off anything she was connected to angrily. He has his hand against Raina’s hand to ensure she won’t try to use her smart little mouth--he can tell Skye is listening. (He assumes that her glowing eyes prevent her from seeing.) After a sharp intake of breath, he can see her shoot her head to where he and Raina are sitting, and she looks at the area suspiciously. Then, she leaves the room.

Everything is deathly quiet.

“It worked!” Raina has an obvious excitement in her voice, and it angers Ward.

“ _Worked_ ? She’s not even close to herself! Damnit, there’s not any of her left!”

Raina smirks. “Who said that she was going to stay who she was? I only said that she has a say in who she  _kills_ .”

Ward’s mouth is open.  _How could he be so stupid?_ Of course Raina would manipulate words to make him think that she meant something completely different.

He punches the wall hard.

Raina continues, “Though, that was a little more severe than originally anticipated. You’re wrong, Grant Ward. She’s too much like herself right now. All of that pent up anger for  _years_ and  _years_ is finally coming to the surface. If I were you, I’d stay out of her way for a while. If I’ve got the story straight, she’s more mad at you than her own father, and look what happened to him.” Raina points out the pile of black dust.

Ward was in too much shock to have realized earlier that  _she just killed someone_.  He doesn’t even know enough about her now to know if it was her first kill, or if she’d care less about it.

He hasn’t been there for her, and it breaks his heart.

Ward shoots up. He has to fix this. He turns to Raina, and asks, “How can we change her back?”

Raina laughs as if he just said something ridiculous. “It’s impossible! You can’t just undo biology...evolution!”

Ward clenches his teeth and shakes his head. “I refuse to believe that. There’s got to be a way to bring her back. Her father’s dead, there’s no reason to keep her in that state!”

Raina sighs. “You agreed to this, and I told you she’s gone. Skye  _died_ , Grant. This girl now...she isn’t the same girl anymore. Same body, perhaps the same memories, but it’s all from a different perspective. Anything from before the transformation will only seem like a distant dream.”

“Except for anger?”

“Exactly. Anger, sadness, basically anything you put her through is what she’s feeling. Poor girl doesn’t even know why she’s feeling it.”

“She once said that raging wouldn’t get her anywhere,” he says sadly.

Raina puts her hand up to stop him. She leans down to pick up a syringe off the floor. She puts it in his hand, and closes his fingers around it. “That will put her down.”

His eyes go wide in sorrow, “Down? I...I can’t do that.”

Raina smiles at him, and it’s different. It’s a genuine smile that portrays her empathy for the man. “To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what it’ll do. It’s designed to kill her, but it’s impossible to know for sure as we’ve never actually tested it.”

Ward grips the syringe. “I can’t kill her.”

Raina wraps her hand around his. “It may just put her to sleep. Maybe it’ll even reverse the effects. The chemical will biologically change her cells to be weaker. Who knows? Maybe that weakness will kill her, maybe it’ll bring her back. The question is: Will you take the risk?”

Before he could even think, Raina’s thrown away from him, and he sees that Skye is back. He holds onto the syringe tightly, not sure what to do. She looks at him curiously, cocking her head to the side.

He wonders if she knows what he’s thinking.

Skye’s body approaches him slowly, as if she’s not sure how to proceed. Ward takes a leap of faith and walks over to her. He takes a deep breath, and he touches her face.

She pulls back suddenly, but then she’s back close to him. He’s fine--there’s no blackening skin--and he thinks that she doesn’t want to harm him. It’s as reassuring as it can possibly get for the love of his life being turned into a monster.

He glances down at the syringe, and he’s never been more uncertain in his life. It’s only when he carefully stares into her eyes, and  _he can’t see her_ he makes his decision.

Ward plunges the syringe into her neck and gently helps her fall to the ground. Skye’s shaking violently; if he didn’t know better, he’d say that she’s having a seizure.

He’s not sure if he’s joyful or worried when her eyes begin to go back to the brown they were before. She’s still shaking, unresponsive, but she’s turning back to her normal self.

He holds her tightly to him, hoping for a miracle.

Life gives him one.

“Grant?” he hears her whisper. He nods as he presses kisses to her hair.

He feels as she goes limp.

-

Coulson hasn’t been sleeping. Skye’s in the captivity of Hydra, and the team’s nowhere near close to getting the resources they need to take back the base with at least a chance of success.

He’s going over all the worst-case scenarios that could possibly be happening to Skye at that very moment. May’s tried to get him to relax with promises that Skye is strong and she’ll be damned if Ward let her get seriously injured.

The fact that he thinks that she’s stuck there with Hydra and  _Ward_ makes him even more sick.

It’s late at night when his sat phone goes off, and he jumps. The only people who would have that number is people who he’s already with and--

Skye.

He jumps up and grabs the phone. It’s coming from the base, and he’s worried.  _What if it’s just a ransom?_

It’d be better than nothing.

He answers the phone, and he hears heavy breathing.

“Skye? Is that you?” Coulson asks hesitantly.

It’s Ward that answers. “No. It’s me, Sir.”

Coulson’s immediately angry.  _The bastard has Skye_ _._ Of course he would be a part.

“You need to come get Skye. Meet me outside the base in an hour. Earlier than that would be preferable--she needs medical assistance.”

To say Coulson is surprised is an understatement.

-

It’s only after he makes sure that Skye’s alive and her vitals are working fine that he finally decides to get her the hell out of there.

Ward picks her up bridal style--not in a romantic way at all; she’s unconscious in his arms--and begins to carry her out of the base.

He looks around and notices that all of the guards that were in this hallway are on the floor, dead. This undoubtedly means Skye killed the others.  _Well, that saves Coulson the trouble of fighting for the base._

Ward wills himself to carry her further, even though he feels himself weakening to the point where he thinks he may fall unconscious himself. He needs to get Skye to Coulson before that happens.

Each step is a new challenge, especially when that step is with his bad leg. He winces in pain for each of those, but he has to be strong. He has to go a little further. For Skye.

_For Skye._

The phrase becomes a chant in his head for every step he takes holding her.  _For Skye. For Skye. For Skye, for Skye, for Skye._

It feels like it’s been an eternity when he finally reaches the outside of the base and feels the sunlight reach his skin.

It’s been months since Ward has felt real sunlight.

He laughs as he holds Skye tightly. It’s  the _sun_.  He’s never appreciated it more, and he can only smile in glee as he notices the metaphor.  _The sun is in the sky. The sun is in the Skye. The sun is Skye._

It’s then he realizes that he doesn’t need any of it. He doesn’t need the sun, he doesn’t need freedom,  _he doesn’t even need Skye_.

All Ward needs if for Skye to be happy.

If she was, he could live. He could live off of her happiness, even if he wasn’t the one causing her to smile. She can live her life, and as long as he was in the fantasy that she was happy, he was happy.

And it scared him.

If he could describe love to someone, it would be this. The ability to let them go, to let them be their best.

Ward looks up, and the plane’s hovering above him. It lands right in front of the base, and the hanger is flying open before the plane even has a shot to touch down. Coulson’s running out of it as fast as he can.

“Grant Ward, you’re under arrest by S.H.I.E.L.D. Put Skye down gently, and we’ll proceed in restraining you.”

Ward nods. He sees May running out, and he passes Skye into her arms. Coulson approaches him slowly with handcuffs, but there’s no use.

Grant Ward collapses before Coulson gets close enough to use them.

-

It’s days later and Skye still hasn’t woken up.

Ward’s been waiting patiently for the word that she has since he made the deal with Coulson.

Since he essentially saved Skye from what was revealed to be her father--not Hydra agents--Coulson agrees to let him talk to Skye for five minutes once she wakes up.

Sure, before and after he’s still in captivity, but at least he gets the chance to speak to her. She doesn’t even need to talk back. She doesn’t need to react. For all he cares, she doesn’t even have to listen--as long as she pretends to be. He just wants to get it off his chest before he’ll most likely never see her again.

When Coulson finally informs him it’s time, he shoots up from the cot and puts his hands out behind his back for the Director to cuff him without complications. Coulson complies, and he’s lead out of his cell and to the infirmary.

-

Skye wakes up slowly to see a crowd smiling at her. “Hello, Skye,” she hears Fitz say.

“Hey, baby girl,” she hears from Trip. “We were worried.”

She stares at all of them blankly, trying to recall everything that happened. It comes back to her slowly, and she gulps.

One by one, they all begin to leave, until it’s only Lance left.

That’s when she realizes he’s holding her hand, and she’s not sure she heard him say anything to her since she woke up. “Lance?” she chokes. She hasn’t spoken in a while.

He looks up from their joint hands. “Damnit, Skye,” he says, before wrapping his arms around her tightly. “I just lost Hartley; I wasn’t bloody well ready to lose you too.”

She purses her lips together and tries to keep the tears in. “I’m alright,” she tells him. She’s not blind--she’s known for a while he’s kind of liked her. Well, she thought it was more of a “ _I’m hot, you’re hot, let’s bang_ ” kind of attraction, but something nonetheless.

She’s not sure how to respond.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a dark figure walk into the doorway.

It’s Ward.

He gives her a sad smile, and she wants to scream at him,  It’s not what you think; it’s not what it seems like  but before she can even open her mouth, he’s gone.

A part of her thinks it’s better that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may or may not be a sequel. Just comment and let me know if you'd prefer it to stay as this ending, or if you want a happier one. Keep an eye out for more Skyeward fics by me.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
